In the Moment
by PrincessMelissa83
Summary: [AU] The quest has taken its toll on its participants, could it finally be coming to an end? The unexpected abounds in this rewritten fic. Formally known as Time of Our Lives.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer_: I don't own Inuyasha. Get over it.

_A/N_: I've filed this under Alternate Universe because I'm not caught up on the manga enough to use any of the more recent events in the story and it has probably taken a much different turn ebcause of that. Plus it takes place three years after her first fall down the well, anyway.

This is a rewrite of my first ever fanfiction. Okay, I take that back. It's a rewrite of my first ever _published_ fanfiction. My first one was a really bad one-shot done to the lyrics of _Don't_ by Shania Twain. Anywho, I'm hoping that this version gets a better review than the first. It only had four reviews - and they were all by the same person.

Amazingly, I actually completed this story before posting it. That being said, however, I'm only posting one chapter at a time at intervals. Now, I'm not saying that I'm holding the chapters hostage in exchange for reviews - that'd just be wrong. _But_ a little encouragement could go a long way for faster updates...

I warned you before and I'll warn you again. I am a review whore. This will not change. Ever.

Also, I still don't have a beta and, from the looks of it, never will. So, as always, this fic was edited by your truly reading and re-reading it four or five times. I may have missed something. If you see any glaring mistakes, please, let me know so I can correct them. Along with being a review whore I'm also a perfectionist so critiques are welcome.

Now, on with the show...

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**Chapter One**

* * *

"We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us."  
-Joseph Campbell

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Dark clouds slowly rolled across the sky from the east as the winds picked up. In the distance the deep roll of thunder could be heard while lightening illuminated the clouds, making an eerie backdrop to the battle.

They were situated in a small open area overlooking a deep ravine. Below them, edged by jagged cliffs was the fast flowing waters of a river. There was a space of nearly twenty-five feet between their side of the ravine and the other. A warn, khaki school bag leaned against a tree trunk and not far from it, a blue and white checked picnic blanket lay in a heap. The basket that had accompanied the blanket had been toppled over and it's now ruined contents were scattered across the ground.

Two of the group had left, going to rid a village of a troublesome youkai. An older man had approached their group and pleaded with the taijiya to save them from the lesser demon. It had been agreed that there was no point in all of them going when it was something that could be dealt with quickly with little effort. The houshi had accompanied them to lend a hand, if needed, and to most likely con the headman out of a heavy purse. They had taken the fire cat with them as transportation.

It hadn't been long before the three remaining members had realized it was a trap when their enemy had come sneaking out from the trees. It appeared the wind witch, Kagura, had not been the only one with the ability to control the dead and hide the scent of their decaying bodies. It seemed when he had destroyed her, Naraku had reabsorbed her powers.

The villager had been slain and there was no youkai terrorizing a village. It had all been a ploy to separate the group that had grown so strong together.

"Damnit!" Inuyasha swore and brought his sword down again, hacking off the tentacles that were headed straight for him and jumped out of the way, landing in a crouch a few yards from where he'd been standing. "Where the fuck are Sango and Miroku!" They should have realized by now that the oni attack was a trap and been on their way back.

He'd attempted to use his Kaze no Kizu attack, but couldn't stand in one place long enough to find the wind scar and bring his sword across it and Naraku wasn't throwing any attacks his way so he couldn't use the backlash wave. Hell, he was good, but even he couldn't do this forever and it seemed the more appendages that he severed, the more Naraku regenerated.

Pink light _whooshed_ past him and he turned quickly to see that the miko's arrow had penetrated and disintegrated another attack that he hadn't realized was coming. But he didn't have much time to think about it before that same girl screamed in pain.

"Kagome!"

She had only just realized that she had unknowingly been maneuvered to the cliff's edge and was attempting to work her way back towards the center of the clearing, a safe distance away, when a tentacle shot out in her direction, hitting her hard in the side and sending her flying towards the ground. Her skin burned and bled where the miasmic appendage had touched the flesh, but the adrenaline pumping through her system dulled the pain for the moment.

She had screamed while in mid air and landed with an _umph_ right at the ledge. The impact jarred her, knocking the wind from her. She instinctively tried to catch herself, opening her hands and flattening her palms to brace for impact. Unfortunately, she'd been holding her bow and, when she let go, it tumbled over the edge of the cliff. The kitsune that had been on her shoulder also went tumbling and she managed to grab him by the tail before he fell over the edge.

Depositing the child on solid ground she worked her way back and managed to stand as the breath finally returned to her. Her eyes darted around quickly until she found what she was looking for - the one arrow she had left which had been dropped when she was hit.

"Shippou, get my arrow...and I'm gonna need a bow. Now!"

He sprinted across the distance on all fours, dodging just as Naraku made a grab for him. When the quasi hanyou tried again, he paused just long enough to throw fox fire at the groping appendage and dart off again. His magic wasn't strong, but it was enough of a distraction to get him to his destination.

He didn't make it back to Kagome.

His youkai nature made him faster than her, which was why shy had told him to retreieve the arrow, but she had intended to follow behind him to get away from the ledge. She made it all of two steps before Naraku slapped her again, this time across the abdomen, and sent her soaring backwards, over the edge.

In that moment, time seemed to slow to a near stop. She felt the weightlessness of being aiborne and the wind pull at her hair as gravity began the inevitable pull on her body, bringing her down towards the ravine. But the fall moved at such a pace she seemed to be descending a mere centimeter at a time.

"_Inuyasha!_" the scream was ripped from her throat and ended in an ear piercing shriek. It was an instinct born from two years of calling to him whenever she was in danger, of trusting he'd be there to rescue her.

And he was.

No sooner than his name had left her lips, she felt something take hold of her, encasing her in a warm embrace. As soon as his arms were around her, time jumped back to normal and she was soaring again, this time towards the safety of the clearing.

"You two go find Sango and Miroku. I'll take care of this bastard," he instructed as he nimbly landed on the grass and set her on unsteady legs.

He had been attempting to go to her to make sure she was alright from her first fall, but Naraku had succeeded in keeping him occupied long enough to strike her again. When he'd seen the girl's figure flying over the ledge, to say he'd been scared would have been an understatement. Terror had filled every inch of his body and his blood had run cold, sending goosebumps along his spine. He'd seen _his_ life flash before his eyes - a life that had been miserable before her.

An unknown power had given him the speed to reach her before it was too late and he had heaved a mental sigh of relief when he caught the miko in his arms. But he couldn't keep doing this. She was in danger and a distraction and he had to get her to safety. As soon as she was on her feet, he gently shoved her towards the trees, telling her to get a move on and then reached for the hilt of his sword, which he'd sheathed in order to catch her.

His rough fingers had just closed around the leather wrapped hilt when Naraku attacked from out of nowhere. The hanyou grunted as a tentacle pierced his fire-rate hair haori and clean through his abdomen. Kagome screamed again, reaching out to him as black smoke rose from the miasmic limb, filling the wound with poison before jerking, ridding itself of the injured hanyou who fell down to the river below.

Kagome blinked back tears and brought her head around, meeting her enemy's eyes, her own blue orbs flashing pink for a second before going back to normal. A wave of calm washed over her and drowned out all sounds. She could see Naraku laughing, but it didn't register.

Instead, she stood and grabbed the arrow Shippou had dropped next to her. "Shippou, I need a bow." Her voice sounded muffled, like it was coming from far away and it felt as if she were outside of her body, watching someone else control her movements.

"What will you do now that the half-breed isn't around to protect you?" Naraku asked, a satisfied smirk on his face. Even his voice sounded as if it were coming from the other side of a wall. A mass of tentacles shot out from beneath his kimono as he made to grab her.

His reddish eyes widened in shock when there was a spark of pink and the limbs sizzled and burned from where they'd come in contact with her barrier; a barrier she hadn't even realized she'd erected.

There was a _pop_ beside her and she lifted the odd looking bow Shippou had transformed himself into. Her eyes glowed an eerie pink when she knocked the arrow and drew the string.

"Simple," she responded. "I'm going to kill you."

There was a _shwing_ as she let loose the arrow and it erupted in pink flames, burying itself in Naraku's chest before he could move to protect himself. His being sizzled and then evaporated in a puff of black smoke, leaving only a wooden doll wrapped in a strand of hair. Three Shikon shards lay on the ground next to it.

As soon as the arrow had been released, Shippou took on his original form and jumped from Kagome's hands, whimpering while she knelt by what was left of the puppet and retrieved the shards. Several Shamiyoushou emerged from the trees, hovering nearby, probably ordered to take the shards when the puppet was destroyed.

"Tough luck!" She yelled angrily at the buzzing hell bugs. "Finders keepers, losers weepers - and you can tell him that from me!" She picked up a container from their ruined picnic and hurled in their direction. To her surprise, and the surprise of the Samiyoushou no doubt, it obtained a tail of pink light and hit one of the hell bugs, turning it to dust. The other three quickly turned tail and fled.

Her skin was tingling, she realized and she looked down at her hands, frowning. The blissful calm that had seeped into her being before was beginning to ebb and with it's departure the pain, physical and emotional, was beginning to return at fresh force. Blood from the miasmic burn on her right arm had trailed down to her wrist before clotting and was now drying, making the skin itch beneath it. The front of her tee-shirt and the waist of her jean shorts were also damp from the burn on her stomach, which had bled, and her black tee sported a long gash near the hem.

Shippou whimpered behind her and drew her from her thoughts. Turning, she reached out to take him into her arms, frowning when he flinched as if he were afraid she'd hurt him. Giving it a second try, she brushed her fingers through his bangs and then gathered him in her arms, clutching him to her chest while he sobbed. Her own tears had begun to cascade down her cheeks as she looked at the cliff from which the hanyou had fallen.

Her breath caught in her throat and she clenched her eyes shut, looking away.

"Inuyasha..."

Could he have survived the fall? Was it possible?

The gorge was deep with ragged cliffs and sharp rocks. The river's current was strong so it was undoubtedly deep as well. She had read once that if a person were to fall or jump from a certain height they would be dead before hitting the ground because of air pressure or something like that. But Inuyasha wasn't a regular person - he was a hanyou, stronger than most humans. Therefore it would take a much higher fall to kill him, ne?

She'd seen him jump from the top of Goshinboku and land on his feet. He was like a cat in that way. But now he was injured. She'd seen him survive such an injury before, but he'd passed out from the venom injected by Sesshomaru's poison claws, as well as blood loss. Naraku's miasma was just as strong as Sesshomaru's poison and if he'd been unconscious, there was no way he could have landed on his feet. He might have suffered a broken neck or a concussion or broken ribs which could puncture a lung or his heart...

And that was if he had landed on the ground. If he had landed in the river, he would have been swept away by the current and, unconscious, drowned.

All while these thoughts rolled through her mind, any number of gruesome and horrible scenarios in which she might find her beloved friend flashing through her head, she crept closer to the ledge to look over.

The miko had prepared herself for the worst. What she hadn't prepared for was what she found.

There, some fifteen feet below where she stood, was a ledge that jutted out from the face of the cliff. Sprawled across the surface of the ledge, lying on his back, was her hanyou. His golden eyes were open, but blank and unseeing. His hair was pillowed beneath him, some falling from the edge of the ledge. A small but growing puddle of blood was beginning to form on the rock surface, darker than it normally should have been from the poison. He wasn't bleeding as heavily as he probably should have, but even the sluggish pace would be dangerous if it weren't stopped soon.

But none of that would make any difference if he were dead and, from her vantage point, she couldn't tell.

"Shippou," she called softly, getting his attention. Her voice was steadier than she felt. "I need you to do something for me, okay? There's a ledge below us. I need you to go down there and check on Inuyasha. I'm going to get something for you to use as a bandage until we can get him back up here. I'll be right back."

He lifted his head from her shoulder and wiped his eyes clear, looking down for himself. When he saw the hanyou, he nodded and leapt from her arms scaling down the cliff's as quickly as possible. She turned away and ran to the discarded picnic blanket and drug it back, lowering it to the kitsune. The wind was beginning to pick up and thunder rolled overhead as lightening crashed in the distance.

"Shippou? Is he...is he..." she couldn't bring herself to say it, but the kit knew what she needed to know.

"He's breathing, but not good," he answered. He gripped the blanket in his hands, nearly losing it to a gust of wind. Naturally, he was too small to lift the hanyou without help and he wondered what he was going to do until an idea popped into his head. With a _pop_ Miroku , complete with bushy red tail, knelt on the ledge. Using the monk's form, he grunted and lifted the hanyou enough to slip the blanket behind him and then tied it as securely and tightly as he could around his middle. When he was done, he went back to normal and looked up at Kagome who had knelt on her knees by the ledge and was looking over.

_Don't you dare die on me, Inuyasha. You aren't allowed, got it? _

"Kagome!"

She looked back to see Kirara coming down to land behind her and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Kami! We were attacked by a Naraku puppet and Inuyasha was hurt. He's down there on a ledge with Shippou. Can Kirara carry him up?"

The fire-cat was already descending below the edge when she asked. After a short struggle, Miroku pulled Inuyasha from the stone cliff and onto the feline's back between himself and Sango. Shippou darted back up the side and morphed into a giant, white bird that looked like a cross between a duck and an ostrich, waiting while she climbed on her back.

"We didn't realize it was a trap until we got to the village," Sango explained as they took flight. "There really was a youkai, though. It was one of the lesser demons that Naraku absorbed back in the cave. I guess he figured he didn't need it's power and we would need to be kept busy. The entire village had been killed already. After we took out the youkai we came looking for you."

"We can stay in one of the village huts until the storm clears," Miroku suggested, his face grim. "I wish to perform the last rites for the villagers and give them a proper burial. It is the least that we can do."

* * *

They found one hut that was not occupied and put there things there, lying the hanyou on a futon. While Miroku took a bucket to the village well so they could clean their wounds and cook dinner, Sango and Kagome carefully removed the makeshift bandage and stripped the blood soaked haori and undershirt from the hanyou. It would have to be washed before he could wear it again. 

"Naraku injected him with miasma," Kagome explained when the darkened skin of his wound was revealed. She reached out with her right hand, causing the taijiya to gasp.

She grasped the miko's wrist and looked up at her in concern. "Kagome-chan, you're hurt!"

Kagome pulled her arm away, rubbing at the dried blood and shrugged. "Naraku nicked me a couple times. It bled a little, but nothing major." She looked up as Miroku came in and set one bucket next to them. The other was placed next to the fire pit for cooking later. No sooner had he entered than the rain began to pour.

With nothing else to keep them occupied, Shippou and Kirara rummaged through Kagome's backpack and pulled out several containers of ramen as well as delivered the first aid kit to the adults. While they worked, the kitsune carefully filled a pot with water and used the sticks that were already on the fire pit and Kagome's matches to light a fire and boil the water.

Miroku knelt next to Sango and pulled out a piece of parchment with kanji scrawled on it in thick, black letters. Without a word he placed the paper over the gaping wound and watched as it turned black and disintegrated. When the girls looked at him in curiosity, he smiled gently. "To purify the poison so that it can heal." He stood then and left the girls to clean and dress the injury while he helped the kitsune.

When they had finished bandaging Inuyasha, Sango moved around to sit next to Kagome, ignoring the miko's protests when she started to clean the dried blood from her arm and wrap it as well. "What about the poison? Did it hit you as well?" She asked.

The younger girl shook her head. "I mean, yeah, I did get hit a little. That's what caused the burns, but I think...I think I might have purified it myself when I, eh, blew up the puppet." She blushed, remembering the explosion that had destroyed the thing. It had surprised her, but the possession of such pure, unadulterated power also intrigued her. If she could just tap into that and harness it at will...the true Naraku's demise would be a snap.

At the mention of those events, Shippou shivered, causing her to frown. Sango was probing at her mid section, having noticed the rip in her shirt and _tsked_ when she found the second gash. While the taijiya proceeded to clean wand wrap bandages around it, Kagome watched the kitsune and tilted her head slightly to the side. "Shippou? Are you okay?"

He looked up at her and nodded. Truthfully, the idea that this woman could possess such an immense power was a bit disconcerting for a youkai who instinctively knew that such an ability could kill him. But he also knew that Kagome would never purposely harm him. Still, he hadn't been able to help the involuntary fear that had been invoked when her touch had burned him. That, however, was one piece of information he had decided not to share with her, since she had enough problems without feeling guilty for something she couldn't control.

She pulled him into her lap and cuddled him close, smiling slightly when he sighed in contentment as her fingers brushed through his hair as if she were petting him. Despite a human appearance and seeming character, deep down her men could not contain their canine natures. An ear rub for one and a gentle grooming for the other could send them both into blissful serenity.

"You were brave today. I'm really proud of you," she told him quietly as he started to fall asleep. Her own mother had never failed to express her pride in her children and as a result, she and her brother had grown up with confidence and security, knowing there was always someone who would be there for them, cheering them on. Even when they had made mistakes, she had let them know that she was proud they had tried, even if they failed, and had learned from them. It was something she wanted to give to Shippou as well. From the first time he'd joined their group he had latched on to her and she had become a mother figure in his life.

"I'm beginning to wonder if this is ever gong to end," Sango said quietly, handing her a cup of ramen. "It's been two years and we seem to be at a stalemate."

"Three," Kagome corrected. "Three years - or it will have been in two weeks. My birthday will mark three years since I fell down the well and two days later will be the day I broke the jewel and started this whole mess."

"It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known the consequences," Miroku said in an attempt to comfort her. "This will be what? Your eighteenth year?"

She nodded and wrapped a string of noodles on her chopsticks. "Mmm-hmm. I'm an old maid by this era's standards."

"Who are you calling old?" Sango attempted to glare at her, pointed her chopsticks in her direction. "This fall will be my twentieth year."

"Mine as well." Miroku looked down at his covered palm, closing his fist around the beads that kept his Kazaana sealed. When he looked up he wore a grin, but a shadow had come into his eyes, concealing whatever thoughts had passed through his mind in that moment. "I think, perhaps, normal standards do not apply to us. Our circumstances are a bit...unusual."

"Everything about us is unusual," Kagome quipped. "We've probably knocked the whole of Japan on its behind and left it scratching its head wondering what kind of joke the kamis are playing on them. I mean, think about it. As a group we're odd enough. A taijiya, a monk and a miko willingly traveling with two youkai and a hanyou? Not anormal occuance, I'm sure.."

Sango leaned back against the wall and swallowed, chuckling. "She's right. If you'd asked me three years ago where I saw myself at twenty, my answer would have been completely different from reality."

"What would your answer have been?" Kagome set her empty bowl of ramen aside and shifted the sleeping kitsune to a more comfortable position in her lap before reaching into her bag for a package of herbs Kaede and she had gathered the last time they were in the village. If she mixed them with the boiled water to make a tea, it would cause the drinker to sleep. She planned on giving the tea to Inuyasha, knowing that with his youkai blood, he would arouse soon and insist on making his wounds worse. With the tea, he would sleep through the night, giving himself a better chance of healing sooner.

"Helping train the younger village children." She shrugged. "Perhaps married? With a child on the way?"

"I would be more than willing to assist make that last one a reality."

She shot the monk a warning look. "Hentai," she muttered, sounding a little more fondly than she'd intended and blushed because of it.

Kagome smiled knowingly at the both of them and poured a palm full of the already ground herbs into a cup, then filled it with water, setting down to cool a bit. She stood,awkwardly fixing her sleeping bag with one hand. With the kit tucked in, she went back to the hanyou and attempted to prop him up. Seeing her intentions, Miroku stood and knelt at their comrade's head, propping him up by the shoulders while she put the glass to his mouth and held his nose, forcing him to swallow the concoction.

That part done, she helped carefully lay him back onto the futon and checked his bandages for any signs that the bleeding had started again. His health had progressed since they had cleaned his wounds and Miroku had dispelled the miasma. Having assured herself that he was doing better and resting peacefully, she bid them goodnight and tucked herself in with Shippou. Her eye drifted closed and her last thought before sleep over took her was, _Where will I be at twenty?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two

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**

_"We don't know who we are until we see what we can do."  
-Martha Grimes

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_

Sango and Miroku rose at sunrise, each with grim faces at the task before them. The storm had passed sometime during the night and, though the grounds were muddy from the rains, they both knew they'd might as well go ahead and get the burials over with and prepare to move on. Not even the miko's herbs would keep the hanyou down for long and as soon as he woke he would want to continue their search for shards.

She rose and stretched, yawning slightly before reaching for her kimono and then deciding against it. Digging in the mud would dirty it and she needed something to wear afterwards. Instead, she stayed in her taijiya fuku, figuring to roll up the sleeves and pants legs and walk barefoot. She could wash her feet later. So, she pulled her hair back and walked outside, joining the monk who had already procured two shovels for their task.

It seemed he had had a similar idea because when she saw him, he had discarded the midnight blue kimono and purple sash, opting instead for only his under haori of lighter blue and dark purple hakama. His feet were also bare. His violet eyes roamed over her from head to toe, admiring the shapely legs and arms he had seen only beneath her black pants and smiled appreciatively. Years of running and working as a taijiya had given her well defined calves and biceps.

She cocked a brow when he didn't make any ecchi comments, but his grin spoke volumes and she gave a mumbled warning. Kagome had introduced her to the world of shaving long ago and, after the first few times, she had found she preferred it, but now with the hentai monk staring at her legs in such a fashion, she was beginning to wonder if she shouldn't have left them alone.

With a scowl, she trudged over and grabbed one of the shovels, turning her back on him, even as a blush spread across her cheeks. "Let's just get started, alright?"

"Of course." Even he could be serious when the need arose and his duty as a priest came before his bad habits.

* * *

Kagome stirred and awoke to a throbbing pain in her arm and abdomen. Apparently she had still been running on adrenaline when she'd gone to bed the night before and the last traces of the natural anesthesia had finally worn off. Barely suppressing a moan, she disentangled herself from the sleeping bag and attempted to stand, still blinking the sleep from her eyes. 

"Okaa?" Shippou mumbled, barely rousing from the sleeping world at her movements and she had to smile. It wasn't a title he used often, or even in public, but when he did she couldn't help the overwhelming feeling of joy that washed over her. "You okay?"

She patted his head gently. "Just a little sore. Go back to sleep." She waited until his breathing had evened out again and finished crawling out from the bag, then limped to her backpack. She had just removed a bottle of water and was preparing to pop two Aspin in her mouth when she realized a set of golden eyes were watching her.

"He's adopted you." It was a statement and not a question. She gave him a sideways glance and then popped the pills in her mouth, swallowing with a big gulp of water.

"Yeah, I guess he has." She crawled to his futon, putting a hand on his forehead before he could protest. "You're not running a fever, so I guess there's no infection."

He glared while she continued her ministrations, checking his bandages and applying more herbal paste. It wasn't that he didn't like her taking care of him, he just didn't want her to know that he liked it. Since his mother had died, he'd not really had anyone who fretted over him the way Kagome had and it was slightly embarrassing. He shifted his weight, grunting when the movement stretched his wounds, but managed to sit up anyway.

"This place reeks of death. Where the hell are we, anyway?"He questioned, looking around.

She'd moved away by that time, digging in her bag for a cup of ramen, knowing he'd be hungry after being out all night. Plus she needed to fix breakfast for everyone. It was just about the only useful thing she could do after all, except see the Shikon shards. "We're in the village Miroku and Sango were called to yesterday. It was a trap to separate us, but the youkai was real. They killed it easily enough, but the villagers had already been slain." She closed her eyes sending a quick prayer to the kamis for the souls of those who had been killed. "Sango and Miroku are burying the bodies."

He nodded. "Good. We're leaving after we eat." He reached for his haori and undershirt to get dressed, but Kagome pulled it out of his reach. He raised his brow, giving her a confused look. "You been spending too much time around Miroku or something? I ain't running around half dressed, you hentai wench."

She blushed crimson and he bit back a laugh at the insulted look on her face. "It's not that, baka! They're covered in blood. I thought you might want me to clean them first, but if you don't mind wearing filthy clothes, go ahead." She threw the bundled material at him, hitting his shoulder as the clothing piled in his lap. "Idiot."

Shippou had awakened during their spat and he sat up, rubbing his eyes. When Inuyasha managed to climb to his feet and head for the door, he followed, hopping on the hanyou's shoulder.

Outside, Sango looked up from where she was covering one of the last few graves and Miroku was chanting the last rites. Kirara sat solemnly nearby, keeping watch over them all as they worked. Seeing Inuyasha up and about, Sango stopped what she was doing and offered him a light smile, silently asking how he was.

"Feh, it's just a minor wound. No big deal. We're heading out after breakfast." He couldn't help wrinkling his nose in disgust at the strong scent of blood and decay. The sooner they could leave that village, the better. "You need me?"

Miroku finished his prayer and opened his eyes, looking over at the hanyou for the first time since he'd approached. "We're nearly done here. Perhaps you should wash up and dress." He grinned mischievously. "Unless you are trying to impress a certain young woman."

Inuyasha growled and turned, stomping off towards the well in the center of the village. "So, what happened yesterday, runt?"

Shippou jumped from his shoulder to the ledge of the brick well while the older boy threw the bucket in and began pulling it up by the attached rope. "After you fell off the cliff, Kagome got real upset and Naraku came after us but he couldn't get near us because Kagome'd put up some sort of barrier."

"Barrier? I didn't know she could make those." He set the bucket on the ground and dipped the white undershirt in the water, ringing out the blood. The movement pulled painfully at the hole in his stomach, but he managed to keep from showing any outward signs of discomfort.

"I didn't either," Shippou continued. "I don't think Kagome did either 'cause she looked kinda surprised. Then she turned kinda pink, like she was sorta glowing, and used me as a bow to shoot Naraku. He sorta exploded, sending black dust everywhere, but it was just a doll. We did get three new shards, though. What was really weird was when the hell bugs showed up to collect the shards, Kagome threw one of those plastic food containers at 'em and it worked just like one of her arrows. It hit one of the Samiyoushou and turned it to dust."

Inuyasha frowned. He'd seen Kagome become worked up before and exhibit strong spiritual powers, but the only time he'd ever seen her use her powers without a bow or arrow was that one time with the centipede youkai while he was still pinned to the tree. And glowing pink? What the hell was that all about?

"Inuyasha? I don't think Kagome even realized what she was doing," the kit said, interrupting his thoughts and stating the obvious. Of course if Kagome had known she could make barriers and use other objects besides a bow and arrow, she'd have done it a long time ago. "I mean, when she picked me up to use me as her bow, it felt like I was standing in the middle of the fire. It hurt, but she didn't notice or mention it later. I don't think she knew."

He grunted and wrung out his shirts, releasing the majority of the water and then started putting them on. They could dry just as well on him as they could off and it felt better to be covered than to only be half dressed. "D'you tell her?"

"No."

"Good. Don't. You'd just upset her and there ain't no reason."

* * *

As soon as they'd eaten, they packed their things and headed west. At Inuyasha's insistence, Kagome rode Kirara. After exercising her excellent powers of persuasion - a few tears and the threat of a few 'sits' - Inuyasha was convinced to ride behind her to keep from aggravating his wounds for at least the day. The poison having been dispelled, it was healing much quicker than it had when inflicted by Sesshomaru whose poison had to work its way out of his system first. 

Kagome never mentioned the curious spike in her power when she thought Inuyasha had been killed and Shippou, true to his word, didn't bring it up.

In truth, she was afraid to say anything about it, worrying that to mention it would prompt Inuyasha to demand why she hadn't used it before. The answer to that was simple: she didn't know how. Any power she possessed, she'd trained herself to use and she hadn't a clue how she'd managed to release what she'd done the previous day and there was no one she could ask for help. Miroku knew some things, but beyond showing her how to write ofuda and place her spiritual energy into the parchment so that the spell would work, there was little he could offer her. Kaede knew about potions and herbs and healing, but she was seldom around the old woman to be able to attend any sort of lessons. The same went for her mother and grandfather. The old man might not have been able to work any his supposed powers, but he did know a few things about them and her mother had been trained as a miko as a teenager but had given it up when she met their father.

That was not to say that it hadn't crossed her mind. She had been thinking about it all morning, actually. If she could just tap into that power at will, she knew she could be of help to them when they fought Naraku. Not that she didn't already aide them. Her arrows had destroyed plenty of youkai in the past and it was her arrows that gave Inuyasha's backlash wave its greatest impact. But compared to the others she was still weak and, more often than not, had to be rescued.

It seemed futile, however, to think on such things because, as she had already realized, there was no one available to train her.

* * *

At Inuyasha's insistence, they made camp early that night. He had argued it was because Kagome was injured and she wouldn't be very useful in a shard hunt anyway if she were asleep on her feet. The true reason, however, made itself known soon enough when three shini-dama-chuu flew overhead, getting their attention before heading back towards their mistress. 

Sango grumbled under her breath, something he didn't quite catch and poked angrily at the fire. Kagome didn't even look up from her school books though they all knew she'd sensed them. Miroku sighed and shook his head, sharing a knowing look with Sango while Inuyasha hesitated for only a second before leaving them to find the once living miko.

When she realized everyone was staring at her, she looked up from her history book and blinked curiously. "What?"

"Aren't you going to get upset? You're acting as if you don't even care."

"Of course I care, Sango, but what good is it going to do to get upset?" She asked, closing her book. "It's never stopped him before and it won't stop him now." She sighed lightly. And he'd feel just as guilty when he came back if she didn't cry as he would if she did. The only difference between his visits with Kikyou now and in the times past was that she had finally accepted it as inevitable. Nothing she could do or say would keep him from her and she never wanted to stand in the way of what made him happy. If being with the priestess was what he really desired, then who was she to argue. At least in his guilt, she knew that he cared for her on some level...and he was always nicer when he was guilty about something.

* * *

He came to a stop a few feet from where the miko stood, looking up at the sky. At his arrival, she brought her gaze down, a light smile tugging at her lips; a smile that never reached her eyes. Neither moved any closer to the other than the few feet that separated them. 

"Kikyou..." he hesitated as he normally did in her company. "Have you heard anything about Naraku or where he's hiding?"

She shook her head. "No. He has hidden himself well, as usual. I take it you are still searching for shards?"

He nodded, stuffing his hands into the sleeves of his haori. "Slow going though. We got three new ones from a Naraku puppet yesterday, but that's it."

Kikyou sighed and reached into a hidden pocket on her hibakama, pulling out something that she held in her fist. "I was attacked by a youkai, sent by Naraku no doubt." When his brow furrowed into a frown she smiled again. "No need to worry, Inuyasha. Kohaku and I dealt with it easily enough. But there were two shards embedded in his back. I was able to procure one, however, his hell bugs made off with the other." She held her fisted hand out to him, waiting for him to hold his own out. When he did, she dropped the shard into his palm.

He stuffed the shard into his haori and glanced around. "Where is the kid?"

"He is nearby, at the stream. You may wish to tell the taijiya that he is well. As you know he regained his memories and began to accept them. I think that he is finally beginning to heal from them now. Though, if he lives, he may never be the same child she knew."

The hanyou nodded, looking away. "I'm sorry. I gave my word I'd protect you and I didn't." The layers and layers of guilt he felt towards the undead priestess made apologizing to her easier than when he faced the same task with Kagome.

She shook her head, giving him a pointed look. "You and I both know that I am fully capable of protecting myself in most situations and those where I am not, I have Kohaku to aide me. And those times when it has been truly important, you have been there. I am not the one who needs someone to take care of me." It was an offhanded jab at Kagome's seeming helplessness. It had been years since Kikyou had attempted to harm Kagome in any way and the two had a sort of truce between them, both being polite whenever forced to be in the other's company though there was certainly no foundation for sisterhood.

"Yeah, I know, I know." Speaking of, he had better get back to her before she managed to get herself into some sort of trouble. Kamis knew that wench didn't know how to stay out of it.

She took a few steps towards him and placed a hand on his arm. "Goodnight, Inuyasha. I will be nearby tonight if you need anything further." She continued past him, disappearing into the trees, her soul stealing youkai following behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three

* * *

**

_"Don't be afraid to take a big step. You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps."  
__-David Lloyd George

* * *

_

Kagome was scribbling in her notepad when he returned, internally flinching at the glares from his other four companions. He huffed and ignored them, grabbing a bowl and chopsticks from beside the fire and spooning out a helping of the rice they'd cooked for dinner.

"You might wanna know that Kohaku's doing fine," he grumbled, looking at the still glaring taijiya. "He's healing and he misses you. If I hadn't gone to talk to her you wouldn't know that so quit givin' me the evil eye."

He pulled the shard out and held it out towards Kagome who finally looked up from her work. "Oi, wench, that's for you." He dropped it into her palm and then jumped into the nearest branch of the tree she rested against.

Kagome didn't say a word as she put the shard with the rest and went back to her homework. Everyone pretty much kept to themselves for the rest of the night, with the exception of Miroku who attempted on several occasions to place his hands where they weren't wanted only to receive several welts from Sango and a warning growl from Kirara.

Well, there was no way she was going to be able to concentrate on her calculous now. Not that she'd been doing such a great job of it in the first place. After checking her answers, half of them had been wrong. Thankfully there were only a few more months left in the semester and she would be done for good. It was hard to believe that she had actually gotten as far as she had with the marks she'd gotten, but it didn't matter now how she'd done it, only that she had done it.

Instead of worrying about it, she put her books aside and drew her knees to her chest, looking through half lidded eyes at her friends and pondering the one thing that had been plaguing her mind all day long. How to be of the most use to them?

Despite Inuyasha's constant griping about how they needed to go in search of the shards so that they'd have plenty when it came time to kill Naraku, they all were well aware of the fact that there were likely no errant shards left. All that there was were in the possession of Kagome or Naraku with the exception of the three Kouga had and the one keeping Kohaku alive. But searching, even if it was futile, was better than sitting around waiting for something to happen.

It was her fault the jewel had broken in the first place even though no one, except Inuyasha on occasion, saw fit to say so. If it hadn't been for her the jewel would still be in one piece and Naraku wouldn't be that big of a threat, Sango's family would still be alive, Shippou wouldn't be an orphan and Kikyou would still be dead. If she had stayed in the village like she was supposed to, the bandits would have never captured her and the crow would have never gotten the jewel. If she'd had better archery skills, she wouldn't have had to use the crow's leg to get the arrow to hit thereby missing the crow and hitting the jewel.

_Stupid three eyes bird..._

And because the whole mess was her fault, it was her responsibility to make things right. She had just as much of a responsibility to kill Naraku and rejoin the jewel as anyone else there - probably more. She hugged her knees and sighed, glancing around camp.

_Definitely more._

It was times like these, when she could sit back and watch through half closed eyes, that she learned the most about her friends. When they didn't think they were being watched, they would drop their masks, for all of them wore one, and reveal their true feelings. One could tell a lot by just watching them.

Sango sat on the other side of the fire with Kirara in her lap. She used a doll brush that Kagome had brought to comb out Kirara's hair so that it would be soft and silky. The neko seemed to be enjoying it as she had turned over on her back with her feet propped up in the air so that the taijiya could comb her belly. It was a position of trust for the feline to expose her most vulnerable area so willingly.

She saw the way Sango's shoulders drooped and knew that Inuyasha's comment about Kohaku had depressed her. It wasn't really Inuyasha's fault though. She knew the source of the taijiya's disappointment was that Kikyou was the one helping him to heal and not herself as she felt it should be. It bothered her, and rightly so, that her brother was conscious and out of Naraku's grasp but that she couldn't be with him, even after all this time. Her heart went out to the poor woman. Sometimes, late at night, she could hear her crying softly in her sleep. Even after all this time she still grieved for her father and fellow slayers.

Her gaze shifted to Miroku, who sat against a tree not far from her, to her right. His legs were crossed Indian style under his kimono and his staff rested on the trunk beside him. Lying open in his lap was a copy of _Journey to the West_ she had brought for him and Sango figuring it would keep them entertained when they had little else to do without exposing them to too many unusual things seeing as the tale had been written around the same time as Sengoku Jidai.

While he read, he unconsciously fiddled with the beads that held his Kazanna closed and she frowned, remembering the dark look that had passed his features the night before when they were discussing their ages. Three years they'd been traveling together. It wasn't long after they started, now that she thought back on it, that a youkai had torn his wind tunnel and the old monk, Mushin, had predicted a year before the void consumed him if he stopped using it; less if he continued as he had been. That had been three years ago.

Her eyes rose from the bead covered hand to his face. His features were still young and boyish when relaxed but now there was an ever preset crease in his brow, the remnants of too many worry lines. He obviously spent more time contemplating his imminent demise than he would let people think. It must be difficult to keep up a front of optimism and jovial attitude when one doesn't know what the future holds or even if one has a future to plan for.

Shippou sat on the other side of her backpack, leaning against it. The only indication of his whereabouts was the constant _beep_ and _tick_ from a hand held video game Souta had let her bring. She'd taught him how to play Tetris and he'd become addicted just as Souta had before such things as PSP2 and _Grand Theft Auto_.

Her heart went out to him. She didn't know what had happened to his mother, but he'd obviously had only his father for some time and then had seen the Thunder Brothers kill him for a Shikon shard. This ragtag group of misfits was the only family he had left. She wasn't much of a mother, too immature to know what she was doing, but she was all he had. As a maternal figure, she felt guilty each time they went into battle and he had to witness the bloodshed. The instinctual need to shelter him was almost overwhelming.

She tilted her head back and looked up, catching only a glimpse of the hanyou's hakama through the leaves. She was probably the only one who really knew the hanyou. Years and years of keeping up a tough front, building and rebuilding walls around his heart and locking out his emotions had left it near impossible to get to know the real man. Though he wasn't as impassive as his elder brother, he still managed to keep things bottled up. She just wished he didn't feel the need to hide from them.

_I'd do anything to help them_, she thought to herself, closing her eyes. _I just wish I knew how._..

* * *

She hadn't realized she'd fallen asleep until she awoke to find the rest of the camp in bed and the fire beginning to die out. Someone, probably a silver haired hanyou, had picked her up and placed her in the sleeping bag next to the kitsune and she yawned, stretching. Overhead two shimmering lights passed by and she could just make out the eel-like shape of Kikyou's soul collectors. They weren't summoning Inuyasha this time, though. They were delivering newly gathered souls to their mistress. 

_Kikyou travels and she's a trained miko._

The thought came unbidden into her head and her eyes widened before squinting shut and she smacked herself in the forehead with the palm of her hand. _No way. No way in all of Emma-O's domain would I ever ask for her help. Nuh-uh. No._

Another part of her conscious crept forward, evilly aging her own. _You said you'd do anything to help the others. Anything, remember?_ She bit her lip to keep from groaning out loud, mentally arguing with herself and, at the same time, questioning her sanity. _There's got to be another way. The kamis wouldn't be so cruel. Would they?_

Feeling the tug of a demonic aura, she opened her eyes and looked up to see two more soul youkai slowly headed back towards the river. _Who am I kidding? Of course they would. _

Steeling her resolve, she carefully extracted herself from the sleeping bag, making sure the kitsune was tucked in comfortably and then grabbed her shoes, which had been taken off of her by someone. She'd said she'd do whatever it took and if this is what it took, then so be it.

Everyone, including Inuyasha seemed to be asleep, so she crept out of camp, following the pull of demonic aura that signified the Shini-dama-chuu.

* * *

Inuyasha growled under his breath when he saw the miko leaving camp. Where could she be going after having been so tired she'd fallen asleep doing her homework. It was enough he'd had to put her in bed, but now he had to track her through the woods while she fucking sleepwalked? Damn wench. 

He followed her, staying far enough behind to keep from being noticed. It hadn't been long after he'd started following that he'd realized she was fully awake and just being stupid, wandering around the woods in the middle of the night. Was it her goal in life to give him heart attacks? Did she enjoy making him worry? If he didn't know better, he'd have to say yes.

Finally she stopped and he was about to go question her when he realized where she'd gone. She'd followed the soul catchers to Kikyou's camp and was currently working on getting the miko's attention.

_What the hell?_ He couldn't help the knot that formed in the pit of his stomach. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

* * *

Kohaku lay at the base of a tree, curled over on his side and sleeping soundly. Kikyou, who required no sleep, was using this time to restock on souls. When she felt the presence of another miko, the other half of her soul, she turned staring at her reincarnation while the last of the souls were deposited into her body. 

"You are out late," she commented as if it were no surprise she had come.

Kagome shifted nervously, beginning to second guess her hasty decision. "Yeah, well...I couldn't sleep." She reached up and tugged at the bottle of shards around her neck. "You gave us a shikon shard." It was more of a question than a statement and she tilted her head to the side curiously when Kikyou shrugged.

"I had no use for the jewel when it was whole, save for my duty to protect it. I certainly have no use for the shards now." She moved from the bank of the stream and sat in the middle of the clearing, silently inviting Kagome to join her. "You didn't come looking for me just to ask why I handed over a shard of the jewel, did you?"

Kagome scowled and sat on her knees across from her. "Of course not. I wasn't _that_ curious."

"Good. Then why did you want to find me?" She folded her hands in her lap, looking every bit the prim and proper lady and leaving Kagome feeling less than adequate in her dirtied blue jeans and torn shirt with her hair uncombed and probably with leaves sticking out of it. "Or were you just taking a midnight stroll?"

Kagome crossed her arms over her chest, not enjoying being poked fun at by her rival. "Forget it. It's not important and you'd just laugh anyway." She started to stand, but was held back by Kikyou's protests.

"No, stay. I wish to know."

She sighed and settled back down. "I want to kill Naraku. I mean, not alone of course, but I wanna be able to help somehow without just being in the way. I know I can, but I don't know what to do." She shook her head. "People keep telling me that I'm supposed to be this great miko and that they can sense this huge power in me and all this stuff, but I've never seen it. Or I didn't until yesterday when that Naraku puppet attacked us."

Kikyou leaned forward slightly. "And what happened then?"

Kagome held her hands out, palm up, looking at them. "I thought he'd killed Inuyasha and that he was gonna kill me and Shippou. I was so angry and upset and then...nothing...it was like I couldn't feel anything and I was disconnected from my body. I protected Shippou and myself with a barrier that I haven't a clue how I erected and I could feel this weird sensation going through me. When I shot him with that arrow, there was nearly ten times or more the normal power behind it. Just raw power. I wanna know how to bring that out whenever I want to."

"That still doesn't tell me why you were looking for me."

She sighed and hung her head, mumbling something that the other woman couldn't make out. When asked to repeat it she took a deep breath, blurting out as quickly as possible, "I need you to teach me."

"Beg your pardon?" Kikyou's shocked countenance was nothing in comparison to the livid surprise written on the hanyou's features when he face faulted out of a tree and landed behind Kagome.

"What the fuck!" He was unable to keep quiet any longer and landed nimbly near the two girls.

Kikyou didn't flinch although Kagome winced at his tone. "I wondered when you would make your presence known."

"So much for ignoring him," Kagome mumbled and then gave him a pointed glare. "What are you doing following me, anyway?"

"Stupid wench, what did you think I was gonna do when you went off _by yourself _in the middle of the night? Would you rather I let you get eaten or something?" He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled down at her. "Now, what are you doing here?"

She crossed her own arms, closing her eyes and sticking her nose in the air. "I don't see how it's any of your business."

The vein in his forehead, above his eye, ticked slightly and he barely managed to suppress a growl. "It sure as hell is my business, wench, so out with it."

"No!" She exclaimed heatedly, standing. "No, it's not." She poked him in the chest with each word to emphasize her point and then put her hands on her hips. "What I do on _my_ time is _my_ business and no one else's. And if I wanna learn how to be a miko then I'll learn how to be a miko and no one, not even you, is gonna tell me any different. And if I wanna ask Kikyou to teach me, then that's my decision too, got it?"

They stared each other down for several long minutes during which Kohaku had been awakened by their yelling and sat up, rubbing his eyes. He blinked in confusion and looked from Kikyou to Kagome to Inuyasha and back again. He'd definitely missed something...

Finally, Kagome groaned in exasperation and threw her hands up in the air. "If you weren't injured I'd 's-i-t' you."

"Go ahead, bitch. It ain't gonna win the argument."

She glared at him for another second before straitening, her features slacking into a more resolute expression. "You're right, because there is not argument." She turned to Kikyou. "If you agree to teach me, then I'll learn. End of discussion."

His golden eyes widened and he took a step towards her, pointing a finger in her direction. "Now wait just a damn minute. This ain't over."

"Yes, it is." She turned solemn azure eyes on him. "You're not my father or my boyfriend or my husband. I don't need your permission." Returning her gaze to Kikyou, she asked, "Well?"

Kikyou took a steadying breath. The longer their argument pursued, the harder it became to hold back her emotions. The two were so open with one another and expressive with their thoughts, even if they did get a little loud at times. There was an honesty to their relationship that she and the hanyou had never achieved. Perhaps if they had been more expressive instead of trying so hard to be polite and proper all the time...

Well, the past could not be changed and there was no use in dwelling on it.

"This has gone on for far too long," she said, finally. "Everything else seems to have been tested and failed. Perhaps it is time to bring a new factor into the equation. Learning to control your abilities and not rely on raw emotion just might be what is needed to end Naraku. It cannot hurt to try." She looked over her shoulder at the boy who had been watching them silently. "Kohaku, we will be following Inuyasha for a short while. You will have to stay with your sister while I work with Kagome."

He nodded and stood. "Yes, Kikyou-sama."

"We will start tomorrow morning. Good night, then." She knew her presence in their camp would only make everyone uncomfortable and it would seem awkward and that was why she had made it so that she would not be required to stay in their camp and could just send for the girl.

"You're welcome to join us." Kagome asked quietly, looking at the ground. She felt guilty for Kikyou's reluctance to join them, knowing it was because of the tension between the three of them regarding the future - Inuyasha's future

Huh? Inuyasha stared at her with unconcealed surprise. Had she actually just _invited_ Kikyou to come with them? He sniffed the air to assure himself that these were indeed the real Kikyou and Kagome and not some puppets made up by Naraku. Clarifying that it really was their scents that he was taking in, he shook his head slightly. "I think Hell just froze over," he muttered under his breath.

? Inuyasha stared at her with unconcealed surprise. Had she actually just Kikyou to come with them? He sniffed the air to assure himself that these were indeed the real Kikyou and Kagome and not some puppets made up by Naraku. Clarifying that it really was their scents that he was taking in, he shook his head slightly. "I think Hell just froze over," he muttered under his breath. 

But not so low that Kagome didn't hear. Still peeved at his previous display of desired control over her life, she narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Inuyasha, sit."

He crashed face first into the ground, his muffled curses drifted up. Kohaku shook his head, grinning while Kikyou attempted to maintain an calm and serious expression.

When he could move, Inuyasha jumped to his feet, catching up to them in seconds. "Damn it, bitch, I thought you said -"

She waved him off. "What? You're always saying you're stronger than us weak humans and you heal faster. I decided you'd had plenty of time to recover. Besides," she added with a wicked grin, "you told me to earlier."

His ears lay back in frustration and he grumbled something under his breath about stupid bitches and their temper tantrums which only resulted in another intimate meeting with the ground.

"I think that it is best for everyone if I don't take you up on your offer," Kikyou said, breaking into their argumement. "I will send Kohaku and my collectors for you in the morning."

Understanding, Kagome nodded and walked back the way she had come, leaving Inuyasha to peel himself from the ground and bid the priestess goodnight.

* * *

_A/N_: Have you seen _Monster-in-Law_? If you haven't, you should. If you have, you know that part at the restaurant when J Lo and Jane Fonda are vying for the guy's attention and they both start crying and he's desperately trying to decide which one he should comfort first without making the other think they're second best? 

By the end of this chapter, I was picturing Kagome, Kikyou and Inuyasha in their places...

Yeah...

Poor Inu.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

_

* * *

"All of us, at certain moments of our lives, need to take advice and to receive help from other people."  
__-Alexis Carrel, Reflections of Life_

* * *

It came as a surprise to everyone except the miko and hanyou when, the next morning, Kohaku appeared through the foliage followed by one of the Shini-dama-chuu. They had just begun cooking rice for breakfast and Kagome sighed, knowing she wouldn't have time to eat before leaving It would not be right to keep the priestess waiting.

"Kohaku!" Sango exclaimed happily. She stood from where she'd been folding up her bedroll and embraced the boy who half-heartedly hugged her back. "What are you doing here? Are you coming to stay?"

Kagome had also stood and was putting on her shoes, paying only slight attention to the siblings.

Kohaku shook his head. "No, nii-san, just while Kagome and Kikyou-sama are working," he explained.

Three pairs of eyes came to rest on Kagome while they waited patiently for an explanation. She tied her shoelace and sighed. "I asked Kikyou to teach me how to be a miko. It's no big deal, okay? We'll just be camping here a few more days and Sango gets to spend some time with Kohaku."

"And you are allowing this, Inuyasha?" The monk questioned, peering into the tree where the hanyou had slept during the night.

"Feh."

Miroku shook his head at the grunted answer, not feeling right about allowing Kagome to put herself in this position. "I would gladly teach you whatever you wish to know, Kagome," he offered quietly.

Kagome rose and shrugged. "Our spiritual powers differ, though, so you might not be able to tell me what I need to know. It's better to learn it from another miko and since we're hardly around Kaede-sama, it had might as well be Kikyou." She smiled at the siblings across from her. "Enjoy your visit, you two. I'll be back later." And with that she followed the soul collector through the trees.

When they could no longer see her figure, Sango gave a pointed glare at the hanyou's tree branch. "Well, aren't you going to follow her?"

"What do _you_ think?" His answer came from the direction Kagome had gone in as he had already been moving through the trees in pursuit.

* * *

Kikyou was standing on the bank of the stream, which might have actually qualified for river status if she could remember what river it was...if she'd even known _where_ she was, waiting patiently for her arrival. The undead miko turned to speak, but Kagome stopped her, holding her hand up.

"And in..four, three, two...Osuwari!"

Inuyasha fell from the tree behind her and landed with a loud _smack_. She turned towards him, both hands on her hips, glaring. "Perhaps next time you'll just ask if you can walk me instead of following me like some inu on the hunt. I'm not your prey, Inuyasha. A simple, 'Oi, Kagome, I'll take you' would have sufficed."

He grumbled something she didn't catch and stood, dusting the dirt and leaves from his haori. "And if you're planning to stay," she added, "you might want to get permission first."

He didn't say anything, but looked at Kikyou who shrugged slightly. "So long as you do not make yourself a distraction, Inuyasha." He grunted and settled on the branch of a nearby tree.

For the first hour, he was on his best behavior, sitting quietly and paying little attention to what the two were actually doing.

Then he began to fidget.

By the end of the second hour, his loud sighs and impatient movements were becoming irksome and, by the end of the third hour, both mikos were ready to purify him and have done with it.

Kagome sat on her knees in front of Kikyou, holding an ofuda before her face. Her eyes were closed and the piece of parchment glowed a gentle pink as she chanted under her breath. Kikyou watched closely for any mistakes she might make.

Inuyasha lay on his stomach on a branch above them. His elbow was propped up on the branch and his chin rested in his hand while the other arm dangled over the edge. He was ready to beat his head against the wall if something didn't happen soon. All morning had been nothing but chants and ofuda and meditation. It was probably the most boring thing he'd ever been subjected to in his life.

Finally, he could take no more. "Aren't you through _yet_? Gods, wench, how long does it take to learn this crap?"

Kagome stopped chanting and the pink glow disappeared from her parchment as one eye cracked open, revealing a pink colored orb instead of her normal azure ones and glanced at the disturbance.

Kikyou gave a frustrated sigh and looked up as well. "Is there nothing else you could be doing, Inuyasha?" She asked with strained patience.

"No."

"Then maybe he could help with my target practice," Kagome grumbled in suggestion.

He glared down at the top of her head. "What's that supposed to mean, wench?"

"It means you'd better go bother Miroku and Sango before I test just how well this ofuda actually works!" She exclaimed glaring at him with blazing eyes. She held up the parchment threateningly, though they both knew she wouldn't do anything to harm him.

Except maybe sit him until his back broke.

"Feh. I'll be back, wench." He landed on the ground and ambled off towards their camp while Kagome sighed in relief. At least they'd get a few minutes of peace.

"No, he won't," Kikyou muttered, ducking her head to hide the sly grin on her face. "He won't be able to pass my barrier. Now, begin again."

Kagome raised her brow. If she didn't know better, she might have accused the priestess of having a sense of humor. Instead she sighed, centering herself once ore, and began to chant again.

* * *

Inuyasha paced from one end of camp to the other, his hands clasped behind his back. Sang and Kohaku sat in the grass, facing one another with Kirara laying in Kohaku's lap. They had been catching each other up on the goings on of recent battles and adventures. Miroku sat a few feet away, turning the pages of his book and occasionally glancing up at the taijiya.

Shippou was also keeping himself occupied with a sketch pad and crayons Kagome had brought him. Pausing mid-stroke, he looked up at the others. "Sango? Can I have a some pocky? Kagome said she brought some this time."

The slayer looked across the fire at him. "You know she doesn't let you have sweets before dinner. It'll ruin your appetite. Maybe after we eat, you can have a small piece."

He pouted, poking his lower lip out and making his eyes sparkle with unshed tears. "Please, Sango? Just one little one? I promise I'll eat a bit dinner."

"She said no, runt," Inuyasha quipped, pausing in his pacing.

"Inuyasha," the slayer warned sternly and then glanced at Kagome's pack. "I suppose one small piece won't hurt. Kohaku, you should try a piece as well. You'd like it." She stood up and hefted the pack up a bit to untie the strings, digging through for the box of pocky. When she found it she removed two pieces and handed one to each of the boys, then put it back in the bag.

Shippou put his paper and colors away and munched happily on his sweet treat and things were quiet again for a few minutes before Inuyasha's nerves were worn to the very last string. "Damnit! What the hell's taking so long? She should be back by now." His ears flattened against his head and he growled, looking off in the direction she'd gone that morning.

"You're just mad 'cause they kicked you out," Shippou stated smugly. "Or are you just worried that Kagome might tell Kikyou what a meanie you are?"

"Come 'ere brat!" He needed something to let his frustration out on and the kitsune seemed the perfect target. He leapt across camp, meaning to pounce on the kid, but grabbed nothing but air.

With a light _pop_ sound, Shippou had disappeared and it took the hanyou a few seconds to realize the kid had transformed and run off. He could hear the brat's giggles coming from behind him as he ran into the trees, knowing the hanyou would follow - and he did. "Come back here you!"

Shippou managed to stay just out of reach, unknowingly headed towards the barrier that surrounded the priestesses. He noticed it nearly too late and attempted to skid to a stop, rolling head over heels several times. He'd wanted to have a little fun with Inuyasha - or, rather, at his expense - not get zapped by a purifying barrier.

* * *

Kagome held her hands limp in her lap and concentrated on the well spring of power within her just as she had been told to do. The approaching aura's of two youkai caught her attention, however, and she concentrated on that to determine who or what they were. They were approaching quickly and, by the time she realized who it was, they were nearly upon the barrier.

Without thinking, she reached out and grabbed Kikyou's wrist, the closest thing she could reach at the time, and sent out a tendril of her own power to collide with Kikyou's aura. The other priestess jumped and tried to pull away, but Kagome's grasp was gone nearly as quickly as it had come.

* * *

Shippou rolled once more, attempting to find his feet and prepared himself to collide with the light blue dome of power. Instead, however, just as he was about to hit it, the dome split and he rolled through, coming to a stop on the other side. The kit looked around in surprise and realized the sphere was closing again just as Inuyasha approached, locked away on the outside. He was safe!

Laughing hysterically while the hanyou cursed him from outside the barrier, he stuck his tongue out at the older boy and galloped off towards Kagome's scent.

* * *

"What did you do?" Kikyou demanded, giving Kagome a hard look.

The younger girl ignored her for a second, reaching out for the two demonic auras to see if her ill thought out plan had worked and then smiled when she realized it had. "I was just saving Shippou from a sound beating, is all," she answered simply. "I felt Inuyasha and him approaching and usually when Shippou's running away from him, that means he's done something to make him mad, so I let him through the barrier."

"Kagome!" The child cried happily and leapt into her lap, nuzzling her neck with his nose while she hugged him back.

Kikyou ignored his appearance and questioned her further. "How did you know to do that, grab my wrist and insert your power the way you did?"

Kagome shrugged and kissed the top of Shippou's head. "I don't know. Instinct? It just felt right." She looked down at the boy who she now held away from her. "What are you doing out here?"

"Inuyasha was chasing me," he answered simply.

"Why?"

He had the decency to look guilty and lowered his head, trying to come off as pitiful in the hopes that she wouldn't punish him for aggrivating the hanyou. "I told him he was just upset because you might tell Kikyou what a mean idiot he is and she wouldn't like him no more."

She let out a slow breath, giving him a reproachful stare. "Shippou..."

"But there was nothing to do with you gone and he was being such a grump, Kagome," he whined and turned large green eyes on her. "Can I stay with you, please, okaa?"

Her heart melted right then and there. She sat him on the ground and lowered her head in defeat, knowing she would give him anything and everything when he gave her those eyes and used that voice. "Alright, _but_ you have to stay back and be quiet. No asking questions, no talking, nothing. Got it?"

"Hai, hai!" He immediately perked up and bound off a few feet away, pulling out his crayons and paper once more.

Kikyou listened to the exchange between the two of them. Her awe of Kagome never seemed to cease, though she'd never let on that she would never let on that she might actually feel admiration or pride for her reincarnation. It amazed her to no end that this girl, this miko, would accept Inuyasha and want him for what he was already. Not to mention that she traveled with two demons and had, obviously, adopted one of them. While she was no longer as sickened by youkai as she had been at one point in her life, she was still used to the training that youkai were bad and that pure miko such as they should never associate with them. She had assumed that was why her own power had started to dwindle after her meetings with Inuyasha began. Perhaps that wasn't the reason after all, if Kagome could surpass her greatest expectations and still live and love the daemons.

"Shall we begin again or are you expecting other guests?" It was a rhetorical question and Kagome blushed before taking her pose once more.


End file.
